515 Crew

Des Moines isn't the most bicycle-friendly city around, but I know some of you guys on here are cyclists...


Post photos of your rides in this thread. If you don't have photos, just describe it I guess. I'll post mine later.


Those who do ride, are there regular get-togethers or rides in the city? I remember seeing someone mention a bike collective in DSM a while back... how is that doing?

That bike collective is still around. I tried calling them yesterday about a problem that I ended up fixing myself. I haven't been in there, I hear it's pretty cool though.

I rode that trail that goes from the MLK Hy-Vee to Saylorville last night. Good times. Had to break for a deer, that was about the highlight. I'll probably go hit up Waterworks and Greenwood today.

i was really hoping this was an alternative porn link, im getting really tired of beating off to your basic porn. however, servo did "turn me on" to http://www.crackwhoreconfessions.com

oh, so it's going to be that kind of party?




also, lolz at riding a fixie with high heels. I wonder how many times she fell down during the shoot.

I have been going out every night on the 24"..
I wanna learn some tricks...any one on here stuntin it up?

Check this vid out...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z19zFlPah-o

So fucking cool.

that dude is INSANE.

I ride a track bike, and do some tricks.. skids mostly, I can track stand with no hands, ride backwards, etc.. just the basics, really. of course nothing like what you see in that video.

some pictures taken during a tweed run (hence the getup) earlier in the spring:



(I didn't add that stupid effect)

robdigi wrote:

This pic would be great for photoshop hilarity.

i have an extra bike if anyone would like it. it's a nice mountain bike that i bought last year, but is probably ten years old. i have two bikes and as i am moving soon, i need to get rid of one.

ilikehorses wrote:i have an extra bike if anyone would like it. it's a nice mountain bike that i bought last year, but is probably ten years old. i have two bikes and as i am moving soon, i need to get rid of one.

how much?

aeon grey wrote:

ilikehorses wrote:i have an extra bike if anyone would like it. it's a nice mountain bike that i bought last year, but is probably ten years old. i have two bikes and as i am moving soon, i need to get rid of one.

how much?

for free, i guess.

robdigi wrote:

Dude...is that you? You look like a clean-shaven Jeff Poot (of Witches With Dicks/The Closet Fairies).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Tn9U2Z-BPk

general lee!
god chargers rule.

She'd better strap those heels in just in case she gets spoked.

really glad Joe Walter doesn't post here

hairy wrote:I have been going out every night on the 24"..
I wanna learn some tricks...any one on here stuntin it up?

Check this vid out...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z19zFlPah-o

So fucking cool.

That was rad.

ilikehorses wrote:

aeon grey wrote:

ilikehorses wrote:i have an extra bike if anyone would like it. it's a nice mountain bike that i bought last year, but is probably ten years old. i have two bikes and as i am moving soon, i need to get rid of one.

how much?

for free, i guess.

I will take it.

JoePreppy wrote:really glad Joe Walter doesn't post here

thank you.

robdigi wrote:Des Moines isn't the most bicycle-friendly city around, but I know some of you guys on here are cyclists...


Post photos of your rides in this thread. If you don't have photos, just describe it I guess. I'll post mine later.


Those who do ride, are there regular get-togethers or rides in the city? I remember seeing someone mention a bike collective in DSM a while back... how is that doing?

I would say Des Moines itself isn't the best for riding, but those freaking trails can give you a nice long distance ride free of cars, once the loop is finished you'll be able to ride in a huge circle around central iowa.



wish i didn't miss Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, but i did.

Oh yeah, the trails are great. Plenty of paths and trails all over Iowa. I meant for city riding. Most of my cycling is just for travel, so riding with cars is a fact of life. I like trails for training, but nothing beats the thrill of racing along with traffic during rush hour.

As promised, here is the trusty steed, out in the pasture and in its native environment.

I built it myself, and it has been dubbed the "ska bike". I doubt anyone cares about specific components, but as far as basics go it's an IRO Mark V frame with Weinmann LP 18 wheels.






also, here is some track bike "stuntin" for you: http://www.vimeo.com/186136

dudes from MASH SF riding with Lance Armstrong in Austin: http://vimeo.com/4503482

somebody else post some dang bike photos. I made this thread to see other bikes, not to masturbate all over the place. I have facebook for that.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbzL0t-0aFs

i hate bicycles.

so, don't those tiny little rims suffer damage going down stairs and stuff?

just out of curiosity, when/why did track bikes become so popular?

Have you had to make any panic stops yet?....dunno if I could roll w/o brakes in traffic

most of the riders doing tricks have deep rims (often called deep Vs, though that's actually a specific brand), which are very strong. they may dent a bit around the edge, but the wheel itself stays in true. regular road wheels will go out of true right away if you're pulling bunny hops and riding over stairs, etc..

track bikes have become -popular- in the last ten years or so, and it's really picked up a lot more steam in the past five years. there's two sides to it- fashion, and how they actually ride. a lot of people ride them because they are trendy. though, those types usually aren't riding track bikes, just road bikes converted with a fixed gear drivetrain. a conversion is cheap and easy to make, but a lot less reliable and safe. people who ride conversions and are serious about it will usually grow out of them and graduate to a real track bike. once you get past bandwagoners, the reason many people prefer track bikes is the simplicity, light weight, and lack of maintenance needed to keep them on the road. also, they are a lot more fun to ride. that's why I ride one. I rode a single speed road bike for a long time for the ease of maintenance and light weight but decided to upgrade to a fixed gear after riding a friend's and falling in love with the feeling... it's like nothing else, and you're able to do a lot of things that are impossible on a regular road bike- such as power slides, riding backwards, track standing, etc. Plus they are FAST. No unnecessary weight, and total efficiency when pedaling. It's one of those things that can't be explained fully until you try it. For more technical info you can look here: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html

Yeah, I have made panic stops. I rode my track bike with a brake for a few months until I felt fully confident in spontaneously throwing the bike into a sideways skid without losing balance. I can stop from full speed in about 10 feet... about the same as if it were equipped with brakes. It's not easy to do, and it takes a shitload of practice. I took the brake off because it was -never- used, and I kept scraping my knuckles on it. I'd probably still be fucked if my chain fell off, but I make sure it's tight before every ride... it's your only lifeline, really. It's still possible to stop by jamming your foot in the rear triangle, but I'd rather not have to test that out. Short of my chainring or tire falling off, it's unlikely to happen.


that concludes the Q&A portion of this thread.

"a bicycle was smashed over his head,"
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/articl ... 13005/1001

joseph wrote:"a bicycle was smashed over his head,"
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/articl ... 13005/1001

"Police said John Deering, 46, was attacked in the 1100 block of 21st Street about 9:15 p.m. " Hmmm.... Drake students, perhaps?



Has anyone done the Volksweg trail at Red Rock?

http://www.inhf.org/iowatrails/volksweg-intro.htm

13 miles from Red Rock to Pella. Looks pretty cool, I want to check it out this summer.

El Rhino wrote:

Has anyone done the Volksweg trail at Red Rock?

http://www.inhf.org/iowatrails/volksweg-intro.htm

13 miles from Red Rock to Pella. Looks pretty cool, I want to check it out this summer.

That looks pretty sweet